Dating with a disability is damn hard. There I said it. I’ve honed in on the forever complicated art of dating from a wheelchair, from finding open-minded people to handling rejection like a champ. Dating like a crazy lady in my 20’s definitely helped.
Now older and wiser (I hope!), I’m helping other people with disabilities with their dating questions.
Have a dating situation you think is impossible? Nuh-uh…I don’t believe you.
Send your questions to tiffiny@beautyability.com
(column is updated as often as I can fit it into my schedule)
1/10/13: 20 year old can’t catch a break
Dear Tiffiny,
I’m a 20 year old guy with Friedrich’s Ataxia, a very rare genetic disorder, similar to Muscular Dystrophy. I’ve been in a wheelchair since age 14, and have never dated. Not that I haven’t tried. I’ve asked girls out and have tried loads of dating sites, but with no luck. Girls I ask out say no, and girls on dating sites rarely respond. Friends (who do happen to be girls, but aren’t my “girlfriends”) have said I’m handsome, so I don’t think I’m rejected because I’m ugly. read more…
11/11/12: Newly paralyzed chef stuck with woman he doesn’t like
Dear Tiffiny,
I am a 27 year old chef and was recently involved in a motorcycle accident leaving me paralyzed from the chest down. I was really concerned that I would never date again and then in the hospital I met my current girlfriend and was really happy. It’s been 5 months since the accident and now I am kinda realizing that I don’t know if I really like this girl at all. read more…
10/26/12: 19 year old with CP afraid to say she’s disabled
Dear Tiffiny,
Hi, my name is angel and I’m a 19 yr old college student in Buffalo. Many of my friends have had a dating life; some are engaged. It always made me feel socially behind. I felt like i’d be in the “always a bridesmaid , never a bride situation.” I’m tired of that now. So I’m gonna try dating now. read more…
10/4/12: Commitment-phobe in a wheelchair
Dear Tiffiny,
I have been in an open relationship with a guy in a wheelchair for over a year. He reminds me often that we are not in committed relationship. I understand why he doesn’t want to get serious, but am crazy about him. How can I make him understand that I don’t care about his disability? read more…
9/26/12: Paralyzed race car driver ready to begin dating
Hey Tiffiny,
I was injured on August 13, 2005 racing motorcycles in Canada by braking my back. I was only 12 at the time. That was a huge change in my life with being paralyzed after. Up till I was injured, I had 14 national championships. I was having the time of my life! In 2007 I was cleared to start racing again which was very good! read more…
7/27/12: In Love but Worried
Dear Tiffiny,
I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend for about five months now. We met online and, in the beginning, he seemed to be alright with my wheelchair situation, but now I am not so sure. Things are going pretty well… I’ve met his parents, friends, except I’m starting to worry that my limitations may be getting on his nerves. read more…
4/3/12: Always in the “friend” category
Hi Tiffiny,
2/10/12: Looking to get her feet wet
Dear Tiff,
I have type 2 Spinal Muscular Atrophy. I’m totally ready to enter the dating scene. How can I become a “hot chick in a wheelchair,” and not, “Just that disabled girl? read more…
8/9/11: Returning to the Game
Dear Tiffiny:
I’ve recently started dating again and man things are different now then before I was hurt! Never mind texting, there wasnt even cell phones when I was learning how to date. read more…
6/1/11: How to approach a woman in a wheelchair
Dear Tiffiny:
If I would happen to meet a girl in a wheelchair, how do I make an approach? I mean, the chair must be an obvious matter that can not be ignored. But if I mention it… how do I do that? read more…
4/11/11: Shy quad looking to make a move
Hi Tiffiny,
Before my spinal cord injury, I was already lacking skills for making my move with women. “Making my move” can refer to anything from building up the courage to ask a woman out to making “the move” read more…
3/5/11: Ex-bf words can’t break her bones
Dear Tiff,
I’ve been seeing an able-bodied guy who had never been around a wheelchair before, and he never felt comfortable around me. We recently stopped seeing each other read more…
3/3/11: Dating discrimination: How to cope
This week’s column is all about the most obvious yet least talked about issue facing people with disabilities in the rumbly tumbly world of dating: Dating discrimination. It’s the hard truth of being human read more…
Have a burning dating question? Send it to tiffiny@beautyability.com
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